Finding the Right Gym

At some point in our overweight and unfit lives we've all had the new year's resolution to "join the gym" and come the first week in January we run off to our local gym, sign up for the obligatory year's membership, go 2 or 3 times and then never go back.

Maybe every couple of months we get a burst of energy/guilt and go back once or twice but never really get into the whole gym thing and curse every time we see the "only 1.48 a day", as the gym manager put it, coming out of our bank account. It"s not the 1.48 that bothers me it"s the 540 per year that's making me sick.

Anyway, it"s no wonder we develop this deep rooted hatred for the gym, to the point where I had to break up with a guy once because he was called Jim.

Let's take a step backwards for a minute and try and repair this "12 months with the first month free", rift.

Let's think about why we didn't actually keep up our planned three times a week down the gym. (Here's a list)

Too many people in there

Embarrassed with the size of your ass

It was raining

Can't work the machines properly

No one to go with

It's raining again

They keep watching me

Too tired to go

It's too cold

I haven't got an iPod

The list is endless, it's at least as long as your arm. Now what's gonna make this relationship work? (Here's another list)

Buy an umbrella

See if there is a gym near you that has women only sections or women only days

Book a couple of sessions with a fitness coach. Get them to do an assessment of your fitness and ask them to write you out a training program.

Don't think about exercising to lose weight think about exercising to get fit. The fitter you are the more weight you will lose.

Join a Step class or Tums and Bums class or even a yoga class at the gym

Try and find a mate to go with, once you get into it, your friends will want to follow.